How is TI Making Robots More Affordable And Sensible
Texas Instruments (TI) is working closely to innovate in the robotics space. TI has extensive plans to dominate in this emerging sector. Niloy from BISinfotech in talks with Sameer Wasson | Vice President Processors |Texas Instruments explores TI’s ahead plans in this space and their offerings and innovations which is keeping the company on the edge of a new evolution. Edited Nub Below.
1. How are semiconductor players like TI making Robots more affordable and ‘sensible’ in the real world?
Semiconductor components are at the heart of technology. Advancements in components can impact robotics in a variety of ways, including:
- improving technical capabilities, so that robots can work better across a variety of environments
- minimize component costs to help make robotics more affordable
Across the robotics supply chain, continuous advancement in semiconductor technology can impact everything from cameras and sensing modalities (like mmWave or lidar) to processing for automation and powering the robot efficiently.
2. What is the future of COBOTS and how does TI plan to get alongside eliminating critical collision situations, enabling low-system weight and small form factors, while achieving high power density and tightly integrated electronics?
Cobots are enabling an expansion of robotics into more applications with the help of advancements in sensory and processing features, in addition to system safety features. These advancements can help robotics technology evolve from working in constrained environments to the functioning and adapting to unconstrained environments.
Texas Instrument’s technology is at the core of making this happen by supporting multiple sensing modalities, real-time control and enabling functional safety certification.
3. Which sectors are early adopters of Robots (e.g: Logistics)? Can a robot manage the end to end supply chain or be useful to make the last-mile delivery?
Yes. For example, while initially robots were preliminarily seen used inside factory warehouses, today, we are also beginning to see them being applied for delivery services.
4. What are the key design challenges faced? How does TI plan to ease and accelerate the design of Robotics Technology?
Design challenges can range from addressing size, weight, and power constraints to supporting safety standards. Companies are working on designs that can address these problems to a large extent.
Our aim is to equip our customers with the components they require to make their design possible. Our broad analog and embedded processing product portfolio, reference designs and systems knowledge allow customers to support and scale to their various requirements.
5. Omnipresence of IIOT underlines new challenges putting Cyber-security in the hot spot. What are some of the critical security challenges faced by customers? What are some common pitfalls in IIoT security implementation?
Security is an important, changing space. Our goal is to offer products with various types of security features that can evolve overtime with this ever-changing space. Ultimately, customers should approach security from an ecosystem perspective, considering and addressing hardware, software, and system configurations to enable overall, improved security.
6. Sameer, at the Robotics roundtable, you emphasized on ‘Cost and Affordability’ of sensors to make robots mainstream. Is TI’s innovation to make the above under-quoted, a reality?
Innovation comes in the form of both technology innovation and innovative thinking. By lowering system costs overall, customers can more easily develop a variety of robotics technology applications. In our processors, we work to develop technology that intelligently integrates various functions, like mmWave sensing, on-chip. This can help simplify data movement within the robot as well as reduce system size, weight, and complexity.
7. Lastly, please share trends you foresee, that could shape Robotics in the coming time.
As a wider variety of robotics emerge, it will be important to consider how to enable these systems to adapt in both controlled and uncontrolled environments. I think there will be an emphasis on building flexible devices that support multiple sensing modalities, execute real-time control, and enable safety for collaboration.
